If he wants a fight, well now he's got one

[joinmyreunion]

The Palace felt quiet. A number of the Arrancar were out on a mission with Aizen; only the weak, or the unpredictable, had been made to stay behind, but that number had not, apparently, included Grimmjow. Kadaj and Tayuya had been left to their own devices without him and Yylfordt around.

Three days ago, they'd had a quiet conversation. Kadaj hadn't done much talking, just nodded, and then later in the day had crept into the laboratories down the wing of the Palace that Orochimaru had made his own. Kadaj used to go down there a lot, three years ago. He'd stopped just after the Arrancar arrived. He'd fallen out with Orochimaru once and for all shortly after that.

He emerged from the labs a couple of hours later, showered, and then went into the underground training facility. He didn't come up again for a couple of days, although there weren't really people around to notice, except Tayuya, who went down to check on him a few times.

He'd slept when he came back up, and then went to look for Nnoitra, one of the Arrancar who had been judged too unpredictable to head off to a freshly made Necrohol. He found him in the kitchen.

Kadaj made his way over; an unusual intent certainty in his expression, and spoke quietly. "Want to let off some steam?" His manner was all wrong to be an invitation to spar, but that was what it sounded like, at first.

Comments

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj was quiet for a moment. Leaving the news to filter down to Kuja held a certain appeal; the coward's way out, he wouldn't have to face him, wouldn't have to explain why and look whatever anger, or hurt, or worse there might be at the news directly in the eyes. He was already doing that to Tayuya. The thought put a lump in his throat.

He made his way to the exit, pausing when he was near Gin, and saying, quietly, "I'm going to tell Kuja. I want to see his reaction."

He wanted to know if Kuja had known what Orochimaru was planning. It might not affect the way Kadaj felt about Kuja, and Kadaj wondered if anything would, but he still wanted to know.

[shoottokill]

Kadaj was going to take responsibility. He was actually going to look the man he looked up to in the eyes and inform him that he'd killed his associate. His friend. He'd have to see first hand how Kuja would respond to that. That, in a way, took more nerve than taking on a member of Clan Khamja did itself.

"That's brave," he said cheerfully.

He didn't presume to know what sort of reaction that might be. Kuja was ... tricky, that was for certain. It really could go either way. A state of tranquil fury or an all out temper tantrum. Shame he wouldn't be there to see it.

"I suppose," he began, his tone lilting. "I'll see y'when you get back."

[prayingmantis]

Nnoitra, only half paying attention, turned to them as Gin said that. Kadaj was planning on leaving? How did Gin know that? Kadaj had been as shocked as he had when he'd found out that he'd been a witness to their committing murder.

He swore the creepy bastard could read minds.

[joinmyreunion]

"Yeah," Kadaj said, trying not to think too much about facing Kuja. Illua came first; it would give Kadaj time to think things through, and steel himself for what was to come.

He'd have to be quick, he knew. It wouldn't take long for people to notice, now. For the Sound Five to notice, and for Tayuya to come looking for him.

"Hey," he said, pausing on his way out and looking back to Gin with awkward and suppressed sadness, "can you do something for me?" He frowned, looking away and not wanting to look either Gin or Nnoitra in the face. "Can you tell Tayuya I'm sorry?"

[shoottokill]

Kadaj's sadness wasn't suppressed enough for it to not be noticeable. Gin watched him for a moment, just long enough to see whether his expression changed after asking the question, when an uncomfortable and worrying silence had passed between them, but nodded all the same.

"'Course," he said.

Depending on the course of action Illua took and what Orochimaru had included in his will, sorry might not be enough. He didn't intend to ease Kadaj's mind on that subject -- he liked the kid, but he would have to lie in the bed he'd made for himself -- but he'd do a little meddling behind the scenes if a quiet execution seemed to be on the cards. He'd never really wanted any subordinates, but if there were some going spare ...

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj nodded, once, and plainly grateful. "Thanks, Gin," he said, quietly.

Tayuya was the one person Kadaj was running away from. He'd face Illua, face Kuja, and if any of the other Sound Five caught up to him, he'd face them too. But he couldn't face Tayuya. It wasn't just the risk he'd put her at, which he knew about, and which was on the agenda for discussing with Illua, it was the betrayal. Tayuya had helped him get his information, had helped him pick his moment against Orochimaru, and she'd had no idea he was going to use it for this.

"Thanks for your help, Nnoitra," he added, the corner of his mouth quirking briefly upwards as he looked at him. "I'll leave you my number, in case you need someone to back you up." Against Aizen, inevitably, but maybe against Grimmjow, or others too, even if Kadaj didn't particularly want to talk to them. It'd be low, after enlisting Nnoitra's help, to leave him to take all the heat in Kadaj's absence.

Tempting as it may be when he thought of all the fall out it would cause.

[prayingmantis]

Nnoitra looked at Kadaj when he addressed him, half surprised that he'd sought to thank him for aiding in a murder. He shrugged and nodded his response, a small measure of awkwardness seeping into the action. He'd expected to be left in the shit for what they'd done, but Kadaj didn't seem to want to brush the responsibility off onto him. He didn't want to face it all himself either, there was no doubt about that, but he didn't intend for him to take the blame.

Huh.

"All right," he said roughly.

So, he was leaving. He rather hoped that Kadaj didn't get himself killed. He had no personal attachment to him and never would, but he'd like, one day, to see how well he did against him. Just a sparring match. Probably. On that subject ...

"Hey," he called. "Your Bankai. You want me to keep my mouth shut?"

It was very possible that he hadn't hidden it from everybody, or that he only wanted it kept from people until Orochimaru was out of the way, but it didn't cost to ask. Kadaj had done him a favour, as much as he didn't really like to admit that he wouldn't have been able to kill Orochimaru without help, so he sought to repay that as quickly as possible. He didn't like to have a tab.

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj nodded. "Yeah, for now." He hadn't really wanted Gin to find out, and he certainly didn't want the whole clan to find out about Reunion. They'd learn about the appearance of his bankai, in time, but he'd prefer to keep the details quiet, at least until he was ready to let people know.

"I'd appreciate it," he added.

He didn't have much time. People would be starting to notice that Orochimaru's reiatsu was gone. He inclined his head slightly, towards Nnoitra and Gin, and then left, using shunpo.

He didn't normally let on that he was much good at that either.

[immoralmelody]

The Desert Palace had been so empty of late, like a stage during the interval.

Usually so vibrant and full of life, it had been left deserted when many of its usual players had departed on their own little missions. Few of the songs that usually filled the halls were being sung. In one way it was a mercy -- many of those that sang them were loud at best and positively obnoxious at worst -- though in another it felt unnaturally quiet. It had been some time since the number of people in the production had fallen below twenty and yet, here they were, barely managing to number fifteen.

The usually diverse cast of this particular play had been temporarily reduced by more than half.

Oh, but Kuja knew how many were still around. Each player stood out like a splash of colour on the canvas of his mind's eye, bright and flickering like fire of varying hues and intensities. Even those that dampened their presence were seldom lost to him completely. It was a certain talent for detection that he possessed, something that came with a great magical ability of his own.

He did not miss the moment when three of those flames flared up and blazed with a ferocity seldom seen within the Palace. Scuffles happened and yes, sometimes arguments got out of hand, but this ... this was serious. He had expected the impromptu little battle song to die off, for the victor to put the losers in their place and leave them to limp away and lick their wounds. That was how the scene usually played out.

But everything had been turned on its head when a fourth voice, an unknown guest in an oh-so-familiar song, joined the chorus. The script he was used to had not accounted for that. The intensity increased and then, when it reached a crescendo, somebody rudely re-wrote the ending and abruptly silenced one of the voices.

With such a familiar flame extinguished, Kuja shivered as a feeling of cold unease settled over him in its wake.

[joinmyreunion]

Illua hadn't been too bad. Kadaj had kept calm, explained himself, and stuck with the story; what had started as a spat had got out of hand, Nnoitra had stepped in when Kadaj was nearly killed, but Orochimaru hadn't backed off, hadn't backed down, and the only way the fight was going to end was with someone dead.

He wasn't sure how much Illua had believed, or how much she really cared. The loss of a member was a blow to the clan, of course. Orochimaru was a respected member, and had been for some time. His death would be noticed. Kadaj had stood, and listened to the firm admonishments and quiet displeasure, but he had held his tongue, kept to the story, and been permitted to leave.

Now there was Kuja, and Kadaj's stomach knotted unpleasantly as he approached Kuja's quarters. Kuja would have questions, and Kuja would already know, by now, that Orochimaru was dead, and he'd have had the time to dwell on his thoughts and feelings regarding that, and that scared Kadaj.

Kadaj had questions, too, and the answers to those scared him. He loved Kuja, he really did, but the thought that he may have to break away from him for his own sake scared Kadaj. He didn't want to; he wasn't sure he could bring himself to openly defy Kuja, let alone hate him.

He hesitated at the door, still carrying Kusanagi, though the weight felt anything but reassuring. It weighed of guilt, not victory, but also not regret. Never regret, not for Orochimaru. After a long moment to draw himself together, he knocked.

No turning back now.

[immoralmelody]

Kuja was jogged from his thoughts by the hollow knocking at his door. Were it anybody else, he wouldn't have entertained the idea of guests. Grieving for a fallen friend and ally was something that he would have preferred to do alone -- as far as he was concerned, grief was a private affair.

It wasn't just anyone, though. It was Kadaj. One of those responsible for writing Orochimaru out of the Palace's script once and for all. The intensity of his power had diminished somewhat following the fight, but he was still a strong presence in the Palace. With him so close, he overshadowed everyone else, even his violent accomplice in this crime. The fourth reiatsu, that strange and unfamiliar flame of raw power, had disappeared following the battle's conclusion. The insect's Hollow, he gussed.

"Come in," he said, his voice unusually flat.

He found himself in an unusual position. Usually he would have been able to guess exactly what Kadaj was going to say, especially in such a straightforward situation, but he couldn't imagine what he was going to tell him now.

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj swallowed, his mouth going dry, before he opened the door. The sound of Kuja's voice was enough to concern Kadaj; he sounded off, wrong. He was dwelling on it. Kadaj realised that Kuja might have been able to feel the fight going on; he was certainly sensitive enough, despite the dampening effect of the training facility.

He shut the door gently behind himself, and then paused, looking at Kuja for a moment. It hurt to see him subdued. Being met with outright anger might have been better.

"You already know what's happened," he said, quietly. It was hard to keep his eyes on Kuja, and Kadaj's gaze fell to the floor. "I've already spoken to Illua, but I owe you an explanation, too."

[immoralmelody]

Kuja had considered meeting him head on with anger. He certainly felt it, just below the surface of his despondent calm. Kadaj was a brat, he knew it, everyone did, but of late he had ... matured. Somewhat, at least. He'd had less violent outbursts, less tantrums. He'd pushed less, sought permission for things more and, dare he even think it, gotten into less arguments. Running with those animals he called friends had given him a jump-start towards growing up. Somehow. He'd never be a productive member of society -- his beginnings and his time with Khamja had seen to that -- but he was changing, slowly but surely.

Responsibility was no longer a foreign concept to him. That fact that he had sought out both Illua and himself after doing what he had proved that beyond a doubt.

Kuja had no issue with killing under most circumstances. Orochimaru's death was not ordinary in the least. Some people were simply cattle waiting to die, living meaningless lives until they did, little more than extras in a greater production. Others were not. He couldn't understand why Kadaj had turned on somebody that he used to be fairly close to, if not as much as he was to himself. That was all behind him, was it not?

His pretty little bird, usually easy to keep within the golden bars of his ornate prison or, at the very least perched on his finger, had started fledging. For him to address him with anger now would likely not be conducive to keeping him tame. He had to hear him out now that he'd tasted freedom. He wasn't sure that an explanation would be enough for what he did, but he'd give him a chance. A strong reaction could easily make him take to the wing and never return to his gilded cage.

Kuja looked at him, his expression hovering at the sad end of neutral.

"Go on," he said. Don't disappoint me, he thought.

[joinmyreunion]

It was tempting to back up against the door, and put that fraction extra distance between himself and Kuja. This was the part that scared him, and he fought the urge to be as far back from Kuja and whatever his reaction would be.

He didn't stand tall and proud, instead his shoulders had been sagged since he walked in, his head slightly hung. He closed his eyes as he spoke, "It started as just a spat," he couldn't look Kuja in the face as he said that bit, but he looked at him as he continued, "he'd asked to see me, but I refused to go to his lab, so he met me in the training facility. I wanted to talk to him but," Kadaj hesitated, glancing away again, "we argued, and then we fought, and it all escalated out of control."

He looked directly at Kuja, taking a sharp breath as he admitted, "He nearly killed me. He got one of those snakes around my throat, and I thought he was going to finish me, but then Nnoitra showed up." He shook his head, trying not to squirm at either the memory, or at telling a slightly edited truth to Kuja, but he wasn't prepared to drop Nnoitra in it. "Then it all got worse, and he tried to kill us both. He used the Eight Branches technique against us; he wouldn't stop, so we didn't have any choice." He frowned, his eyes closing again, "We had to kill him. It was the only way either of us were getting out of that fight alive."

He hoped, desperately, that as versions went it was enough of an explanation that he'd get out here alive. He also hoped it would stop any fallout from blowing Nnoitra's way. It wasn't his fault, by Kadaj's account; he'd stepped in when it was already a full blown fight, and not just a minor scrap that he'd made worse with his intervention.

He hoped that Kuja would think that, too.

[immoralmelody]

Kadaj looked guilty. It was all over both his face and the way in which he stood. Kuja listened to him, heard the cracks and stresses in his voice, the times when he upped the tempo of his words as if saying them quickly was going to lessen the impact.

An argument.

Such a thing between two individuals as proud and volatile as Kadaj and Orochimaru ... well, it wasn't difficult for him to imagine a scenario in which things turned physical, and nasty, and ended up more than a little bit violent. Kadaj was known to push and he had trouble knowing when to concede defeat. He didn't back down until he'd been beaten and he knew that there was no chance of him winning. It was his bad habit. Kuja had known him to push and push and fight and fight until he figured he couldn't come out of it well, and then run so he didn't have to face defeat. He was stronger now. The bar was differently levelled. He could push harder against stronger people and stay standing.

As for Nnoitra... Kuja didn't even question the reasons that had made him join in with it. He had history with Orochimaru, few didn't know that, and if he witnessed him getting unpleasant with somebody else, some instinctual spark deep within him might have flickered into life and made him actually help them. It wasn't outside the realms of possibility. That, or he'd simply acted like the opportunistic killer Kuja knew some of the baser Arrancar to be. That two against one might have been easy pickings could have been all he needed.

Regardless, Kuja wasn't so clouded by sadness for his fallen friend that he couldn't see the gaping plot hole in the sequence of events.

"And what was it that you argued about?" He asked, canting his head. "What caused all of this -- the death of one of our own?"

What was it that pushed his pretty bird into going head to head with the serpent? He had the reasons as to why he had flown with that insect, but what had been trigger for bared fangs and the flash of talons?

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj looked at Kuja and felt his stomach twist, sickeningly. He tried to answer, but couldn't, and he looked away, closing his eyes and swallowing reflexively.

It was hard to say it now. He'd never really spoken about it before, had never ever recounted details to anyone, not even to Grimmjow who already a rough idea that it had gone on.

What would he do if Kuja had known? He wasn't sure he wanted to know if Kuja had known any part of it any more, but a small part of him screamed to find out.

He put his hand to Souba's hilt, gripping it until his knuckles turned white, but not as if he was going to draw her. This was Kuja; no matter what his response, he wouldn't do that, and not just because he'd be dead before he'd got Souba out.

"He," Kadaj managed, fought against a crack in his voice, swallowed once more, and then plunged ahead, "used to shove his tongue so far down my throat, I thought I was going to be sick." His hand tightened on Souba again, "I tried to fight back once, and he dislocated my arm, and left it like that until it was over." He swallowed again, opening his eyes only to stare at the floor. "He had two, and I was the only one, the only one," he repeated, "that he used both at once with. It used to hurt so much," he said, his hand and voice trembling. "He liked to choke me with that tongue around my throat until I didn't have the strength to stand, let alone fight back."

Kadaj took a couple of steps back, until his shoulder hit the door, and he leaned there, tilting his head back to rest against it, too. His hands were shaking, his throat ached, and he felt oddly lightheaded and vulnerable at having told someone. His jaw quivered for a moment as he took a shaky breath, and then said, "I'd thought that was just how he was, just how he was with me, but then I found out he'd done it all deliberately to try and keep me from ever fighting him properly. He'd been trying to break me, and keep me that way, for all those years."

Kadaj's voice tailed off, and he looked at Kuja, oddly despondent. "He called it 'Living Corpse Reincarnation'. That's what it was about. I told him I'd still fight him if he tried using it on me, that he could rape me as many times as he liked, however he liked, and I'd still fight him."

Did you know what he was doing to me? The question stuck in Kadaj's throat, for now.

[immoralmelody]

Kuja watched Kadaj falter before he began to speak.

The avoidance in his both body language and voice ... Kuja had never seen him like that. Never. Never had Kadaj avoided saying something to him in such a way. Usually, if he had acted in any way similar, it was an action born of guilt, because he'd done something wrong. Broken something in a temper. Gotten himself into a fight that he shouldn't have picked. Done something that he had been warned against doing. This was different. He looked nearly fearful. Positively mired in vulnerability. Vulnerable was something that he'd never been, not even when he'd run the streets of Alexandria alone, robbing strangers of gil and possessions.

Kuja's eyes flicked to Kadaj's hand when he laid it on Souba's bound handle, but he didn't react. He didn't even flinch. He knew that Kadaj would be unlikely to ever raise his sword against him. Either his own or that new one he was holding. And, well, if he did...

When his words finally came, when he at last found his voice, Kuja listened. He tried to remain impassive throughout his admission, but he found himself unable to. Both the cracking of his voice and the details he told of made it impossible for him not to react. His eyes went wide as Kadaj described his ordeals, the things Orochimaru had done to him. Kuja gritted his teeth behind his lips. His hands curled into fists at his sides. His tail, usually delicately curled, was lowered to the floor without care.

Is this all true? he asked himself, barely breathing as he went on.

He felt cold, as though snakes had tightened around his heart. Was this how Orochimaru made everybody feel? Had he, his ally --his friend-- really done this to Kadaj? All without his knowledge? Without guilt? He knew that they had been intimate on a number of occasions, that was true, but he had never imagined that those occasions had not been consensual.

How dare he?

He wanted to reach out and touch the boy, hold him, but he found himself unsure if that would be a welcome action. He hesitated, unable to move. He felt numb as Kadaj's words echoed in his head and made him feel sick. He'd always seemed so happy. He'd never betrayed any of this in how he had acted over the years. Not for a second. He'd never let on about the abuse. Never told him how he was used. Never confided in him. Had his fear of the repercussions been so great?

Kuja remained silent for some time after Kadaj had finished.

He was in shock. Orochimaru's murder had been entirely overshadowed by this revelation. He no longer felt sorrow for him, nor any need or desire to mourn his loss. Grief had been replaced by anger, but Kuja held that back. He took a breath, a sharp one that hurt his throat, and spoke.

"Kadaj," his voice shook and broke, but he swallowed and continued. "I... Kadaj, why did you not come to me? Why did you allow him to take such liberties with you?"

It confounded him. He didn't blame him, for he knew that Orochimaru was both dangerous and persuasive, but if he was being hurt, why did he not seek him out to put an end to it? He must have known that he would have the power to do that, that he could have faced him when he himself would have unable to. It heartened him to know that he would have fought him and he felt lighter knowing that, when it had come to it, he had done so and won ... albeit with the help of ... of Nnoitra. Nnoitra. Another one of Orochimaru's victims.

How had he been so blind?

He shook his head, angry at himself and not Kadaj. He should have known what Orochimaru would do to someone like Kadaj. He knew what he was like. He just simply didn't imagine that he would have been so bold as to act that way with something of his. It disgusted him. Still, Kadaj had put and end to all of that.

But it still left one question.

"This," he hesitated, his expression settling into one of an uncharacteristic frown. "This ... reincarnation you spoke of. What is it? What did he intend for you?"

[joinmyreunion]

What would you have done? Kadaj thought, as Kuja asked the question Kadaj had wondered himself, more recently. Battled an ally over a fourteen year old disposable brat you took in out of idle interest? He didn't say it, though, just as he didn't ask what Kuja had expected to happen when he'd left said fourteen year old with something like Orochimaru for more than ten seconds.

It didn't matter any more. Kadaj could see the little tells of anger, more than anger, in Kuja's stance. He'd seen the like before, in smaller ways, when he'd pushed too far, or done something explicitly against instruction. He saw the tensing in Kuja's jaw, and the curled hands, and heard him ask that question, and suddenly Kadaj felt a horrible weight lift off his chest.

He closed his eyes, flooded with relief, before he answered the second question, leaning more easily against the door but breathing like he'd exerted himself in the last few minutes, rather than simply confessed. "He has to put one of his seals on the target," he said, not noticing to correct his use of the present tense, "and then he can transfer himself into their body. It lets him learn kekkei genkai," Kadaj explained, "and when he takes a new body, he has to stay in it for three years before he can use the jutsu again." Kadaj frowned for a moment before adding, "Except it also meant that every three years he had to find another victim. He wanted Kimimaro, but he hadn't been able to cure his sickness yet. I was the back up plan." He shrugged one shoulder, and tried not to be irked by that.

"Tayuya tipped me off," he said, quietly. "I was just going to leave and stay out of his way until he was forced to take someone else, but," he trailed off, again. "It didn't work out that way."

He sighed as he stood up off the door again, and made his way towards Kuja, leaning Kusanagi delicately against the furniture on the way. When he got to Kuja he slipped his hands over Kuja's shoulders until he could fold his arms gently around him and tuck his face in towards Kuja's hair, his eyes closed as he breathed him in for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Kuja," he said, in a whisper. "I should have told you sooner, but I'd never thought there was any way you didn't already know." It hurt to admit that to Kuja, too; that he hadn't trusted him. "I should have known better."

He stood back a little, to look at Kuja, drawing back until his hands were loosely clasped near the back of Kuja's neck. "I'm sorry."

But I'm stronger for it.

[immoralmelody]

"And then he can transfer himself into their body..."

He stole bodies? From living people? For his own use? He walked around in the corpses of people he had stolen the bodies of? The very notion sickened Kuja.

Experimentation on the living didn't bother Kuja all that much -- he had dabbled himself, on occasion, albeit magically. There were more than a few members of Khamja, past and present, Orochimaru included, that conducted often awful experiments on people. Aizen, Hojo and that infernal Aegyl were just a few. Kadaj's best friends, both Tayuya with her Cursed Seal and the Arrancar, each with a Hollow sealed into them, were the results of some of these experiments. But they didn't have to give up their bodies for use by someone else... not like that.

He was horrified. He welcomed the hug that Kadaj gave him and returned it gently, sliding his arms around his waist and holding him for a quiet moment.

It hurt knowing that Kadaj hadn't trusted him. That's what it came down to. He thought that he had known about all that and had just stood by and it all happen. Had Kadaj overestimated how much that Kuja knew about the goings on in the palace?

He sighed.

It stung, but he knew that he mustn't be angry with him. He needed him to remain in a supporting role in the show that Kuja himself was the star of. He couldn't push him away by trying to hold him too close. That was more vital now than ever. No, he would give him his space. Kadaj had won his personal battle. Kuja was proud of him for that. Kadaj should still trust him. He needed him to.

"It is done," he said gently, placing his hands on Kadaj's sides as he drew back. "Orochimaru is gone," saying those words with a tone of relief left a bitter taste in his mouth. "You were right to fight back and not let him have his way again."

He was safe thanks to how strong he'd become and, awful as it was for Kuja to feel a degree of gratitude to that brutish insect, thanks to Nnoitra. He made a mental note to keep the heat off Nnoitra as much as he was able. Kadaj had seen Illua already, so he had evidently taken responsibility for the incident, but other people in the Palace may feel a certain degree of malice towards the Arrancar. Kuja would endeavour to prevent that as much as possible. He had, after all, aided Kadaj in eradicating that snake.

As for the Sound Five ... Kuja knew the details of Orochimaru's will regarding them. He had had to give consent at the time. Tayuya had saved Kadaj's life with her tip-off. He would, in turn, save hers when the time came.

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj nodded, feeling his own shoulders relax with the movement. He'd been so scared of coming to Kuja and explaining what had happened but, while his fears weren't exactly unfounded, Kuja was being understanding, which was the most Kadaj could ask.

"I've been a little too big to ride your tail for a while now, anyway," he admitted, quietly, and with a faint flash of a smile. "It's about time I started getting myself out of the scrapes I get myself into." He squirmed a little, uncomfortably, as he added, "And taking responsibility for what happens."

He looked at Kuja, a slight frown etched on his lips. "I don't know what's supposed to happen to Tayuya and the rest, now," a muscle in his jaw flickered, tensing for a second, "but I don't want them to be put down because of something I did."

Especially not Tayuya. Without Orochimaru, Kimimaro probably wouldn't survive to Warsend, and that was bad enough for Kadaj to accept. He'd never really got on with Kimimaro, but that didn't mean he deserved to die just because Orochimaru was a sick bastard, and still Kadaj had destroyed any chance he had of a cure.

[immoralmelody]

Oh, Kuja knew all too well that Kadaj was too old to remain in his shadow now. Even so, it felt like it had come too soon. He'd seen it coming, but not quite to this extent. He smiled, not openly addressing the subject. Kadaj was ready to take a leading role in his own life. He could deal with that. He knew what he wanted and Kuja was going to simply give it to him. It was for the best, in the long run. Kuja would lose an underling -- that hadn't really happened even after Kadaj had been elevated to full Member status -- but he would hopefully retain an ally.

A replacement for Orochimaru.

On the subject of Tayuya and the others, Kuja gave him a serious look.

"The Sound Five were willed to me," he said, forcing his voice almost back to normal. "Providing he didn't alter his will without informing me, that should remain the same."

Tayuya was probably Kadaj's best friend, barring that loud-mouthed Arrancar he liked so much. If he allowed her to die, Kadaj's faith in him would dwindle sharply. If he kept her and left the rest to the mercy of the Clan's rules, she would never trust him. He would, despite what he now knew about Orochimaru, honour what he had agreed to back then.

"I am perfectly sure they will be unreasonably irritated to discover that fact," he allowed amusement to seep into his tone. "Still, their displeasure is something they will have to live with. An uncomfortable period of adjustment is considerably better than the alternative -- even they would have to admit that ... however grudgingly."

[joinmyreunion]

So they were already willed to Kuja. That made Kadaj feel significantly better. There probably hadn't been any change in Orochimaru's will; he'd died an ally of Kuja's, he'd had no reason to change it.

"Some might struggle more than others," Kadaj said, quietly, thinking of Kimimaro again, but he shook his head, and shook the thought off. "At least they're landing on their feet if they get you," he said, with a faint smile. "I'd take them, if they weren't willed to anyone, but I don't think they're going to be my number one fans right now."

He sighed gently, feeling better to know that Tayuya would be all right, even if he wasn't here to argue for her.

[immoralmelody]

A difficult transition period was the best that the Sound Five could hope for. If Kuja had not stepped up and accepted Orochimaru's desire to will them to him in the event of his death, they would, in all likelihood, be put down -- that is to say, executed. Khamja was a delicate operation and, without a master, minions had only three choices if their boss was killed in action. They could be taken on by somebody else; they could, rarely, be elevated to Member status or they could be disposed of. Khamja had too many secrets, including the identities of the non-public members, for underlings to be released back into society. It had its perks, but it was a dangerous game.

They, as the old adage went, knew too much.

That said, Kuja was no bleeding heart. He would allow the Sound Five time to get used to answering to him instead of Orochimaru, that was only fair. They would be permitted to grieve, given time to adjust and would be allowed the same scant freedoms that he had given them. Tayuya, for instance, would not be prevented from fraternising with Aizen's half-Hollows, nor would she be forced to step away from Clan Skite. He would not, however, accept unfortunate behaviour once everything was settled. He had not agreed to save their lives so that he could be walked all over.

If they pushed him, there would be consequences. They could count on that.

"You are probably right," Kuja said, not doubting that for a second. "Do you intend to stay out of their way?"

He rather hoped so. Kadaj had taken out Orochimaru when it came to it, but he'd had help and the Sound Five all had dangerous abilities at their disposal. Kadaj had won a difficult battle and bested a powerful opponent, but he would struggle to win the war should it come to him all at once.

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj nodded, answering, simply, "Yeah." The Sound Five were going to be angry with him; sticking around wouldn't be wise, especially if someone like Kimimaro decided he had nothing left to lose. Tayuya would be pissed, and feeling betrayed. Kidomaru and the twins....

Kadaj was really not going to be their favourite person in the world.

"I need to get out of here for a while anyway," he admitted. "Too many ghosts," he said, softly, "I need to clear my head." Too many bad memories and upcoming arguments. Kadaj wanted to deal with them one at a time, in his own time, and he wouldn't be able to do that here because it would all crash down on him in wave after wave if he stayed.

He frowned, thinking of that. "I should leave now," he said, with a trace of a sigh. "They'll have noticed Orochimaru's gone; it won't be long before someone comes looking for me." Tayuya. Tayuya would be the one, and she was the one Kadaj least wanted to confront.

"Thank you," he said, looking Kuja in the eyes, "for hearing me out."

[immoralmelody]

"Of course," Kuja said, answering all of his statements and his gratitude with those two words.

Gone were the days when the doors of the Desert Palace were closed to Kadaj. He was no longer a prisoner. He could come and go as he pleased, like the rest of them. Now was a good time for him to start exercising that privilege. His running around with Skite had given him ample opportunity to stretch his wings. Now was the time for him to use them.

"I will go and see Illua," he said quietly, returning his gaze. "I have no doubt that she will want to discuss with me the extent of Orochimaru's will."

So, he was to have underlings again. He had only ever had Kadaj before. He used and manipulated people on the outside easily enough, but it wasn't quite the same. He had new responsibilities. The Sound Five would not be the only ones who would have to grow accustomed to a new situation. He had not accounted for this so soon, but he could easily improvise.

"Go on," he gave his sides a gentle squeeze. "Try not to get into too much trouble?"